Pawpaw pie with coconut crust & lime zest

Pawpaw pie with coconut crust on a table

5 from 2 votes

Pawpaw pie with coconut crust & lime zest

The pawpaw flavor really shines in this recipe, perfectly complimented with a coconut crust and a hint of lime. Combined they make a unique tropical dessert.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Cool in fridge3

Total Time50

Servings: slices

Calories: 425kcal

Ingredients

PIE CRUST

½ cup sweetened flaked or shredded coconut (plus extra for topping)
¾ cup all-purpose flour
7 tablespoon butter cold, cut into cubes
⅓ cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

PAW PAW CUSTARD

¾ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch (or ⅓ cup flour)
3 large egg yolks, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup pureed pawpaw
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon lime zest (plus extra for topping)

Instructions

MAKE THE PIE CRUST

Preheat oven to 350℉.
Toast coconut on a tray in the oven until golden. This will take 5-10 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature (about 10 minutes).
In a food processor, pulse the flour, cooled toasted coconut, cold butter cubes, sugar, and salt until it forms a cohesive dough (it will be like a thick cookie dough). Press the dough into a 9" pie pan, then freeze it for 10 minutes.
Bake the crust until golden. This will take 10-20 minutes depending on your oven. (It took 12 minutes in my electric, newish oven). Let sit on the counter to cool.

MAKE THE PAW PAW CUSTARD FILLING

In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and cornstarch. Add in the beaten egg yolks, milk, heavy cream, and lime juice and mix well. Add in the pureed paw paw and lime zest and mix well again.
Cook the mixture over low or medium-low heat. Stir continuously and let it get to a lazy bubbling state, but not boiling! Cook until it is thickened to a custard-like consistency - continuously stirring. Press it through a fine-mesh sieve for an ultra-smooth consistency. Let cool for 10 minutes. (It will firm up just slightly in the fridge, but not by much)
Pour cooled paw paw filling into the cooled pie crust. Add extra coconut and lime zest to the top (optional). Place in fridge to set the custard pie filling (about 2 hours).

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